Cherry blossoms could hit peak bloom in next week as temperatures soar.

The blossoms have reached Stage 4 out of 6, or ‘peduncle elongation.’ The peak bloom date could be among the earliest on record.

*This means we could be close to peak bloom by the weekend and hitting peak early next week. Late this week will be an excellent time to catch an early look at the blossoms, beginning a one-to-two-week stretch when you can take in the flowery scenes.

As a sign of how fast the buds are progressing, the cherry blossom “indicator tree” at the Tidal Basin — which typically is about a week ahead of the others — reached peak bloom this past weekend, Leslie Frattaroli, a natural resources program manager at the Park Service, said in an email.

If peak bloom for the rest of the trees occurs within a week, which is possible considering a very warm forecast, it will rank among the earliest on record. Temperatures have averaged 7 degrees above normal so far this month and, significantly, there have been no freezing nights, which tend to slow bud development.'>>>

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/12/cherry-blossoms-dc-peduncle-elongation-peak-bloom/?